There are days where you look at the events and wonder what has become of us as a people, where is the trust and the helping hand?
The bike ride today was great, I biked from Revelstoke to Sicamous where I enjoyed a fantastic icecream cone and chocolate milk. It was near mid day and quite hot out so I figured I'd hand around and wait for the heat of the day to disapate. While at Sicamous, I met 2 couples from the Vegreville area who knew my extended family which is very odd. And one couple from Kamloops who offered me their yard if I needed a place to stay on my way to Vancouver. Depending on when I leave Sorrento on Sunday and the weather, I may take them up on that. All these people were really nice, friendly and we had great conversations about a variety of topics. I also had a few people who gave me cash that is always appreciated. I am curious how much money I might raise by the time I get to Vancouver, I haven't even tried to hazzard a guess but that people have read my sign and some are donating is very encouraging.
I left Sicamous about 4, and when I saw that it was 150km to Vernon decided that perhaps I wouldn't hop over to Vernon for the night, as in a car thats just a hop skip an a jump, not so on a bike. I arrived in Salmon Arm at 6, and stopped at McD's from a McRib dinner. I thought by the time I got to Sorrento it would have been way to late for food. I did wonder as I ate the rib thing, what it really was and how processed it was to make. Before I eat another I will have to investgate as mechanically separated meat is a process that really disturbs me. Google it and watch the video on how its done. On a good note they can't feed "bone meal" to humans, but they do to dogs, and that is even worse. Oh, I read an article that the Cancer soceity has done 4,000 studies and found that sodium nitrate is a horrible cancer causing agent that is added to meats, I wonder if I can order meat without this "colourant". I guess the FDA in the states tried to ban it a few decades ago but the big meat companies in the states rallied and scared them into not banning it. I hope this time it gets banned, we don't need a colourant that has no value other then causing cancer.
Anyways in Salmon Arm as I was leaving McD's I chatted with a coupld guys who had just arrived from Kitchner, ON via bike. They had been also hosteling/camping along the way and they for the most part were eating junk food aka McD's for meals. I was curious how others travelled and how they survuived. I still think I can do better then I am, so I will have to work on that. Then as I was nearly out of Salmon Arm a truck stops me to give me money, his dad had just passed away from Prostate Cancer after having it for 12 years.
So I left SalmonArm at 7 pm, and I was nearly at Sorrento, only 12 km left to go when my rear tire went flat. Changing the tire was no problem as I have plenty of spares (3), but in releasing the rear tire, the hanger for the derailar fell off, it had cracked at some point and only by the grace of God had it stayed in place. I have no idea how as I struggled for a good 20 min and couldn't get the tension of the tire clamps to keep in on. Before Rogers Pass on the climb I had some gearing problems that I had easily adjusted when at the hotel, and I am wondering if that had actually been the bracket either breaking or shifting, and I am amazed that it has held on for at least 300km now. So it was nearly 9pm and I would have easily arrived in Sorrento arround 9 if it wasn't for the broken bracket. So here I am pushiong my bike and trailer along the side of the highway, I have a safety vest over my back pack and I thought I had a light flashing as well on my pack. That stretch of road has been under sconstruction for a year now and so here I am trudging along in the dusk with a bike, and wondering when someone would ask if I needed help. They saw me as they gave me wide bearth, but no one stopped. Not even the construction vehical who passed me a couple times doing something with the signs. It makes me wonder what people thought I was doing in the middle of no where on a dark highway pushing a bike through a construction zone. I know personally I would have had huge bells ringing and would have checked to make sure everything was okay. In fact I have stopped in the past and helped out cyclists with issues far simpler then mine.
So I have to say as a test, this was a failure, not one person stpped or slowed down or check to see if everything was okay. I did make it into Sorrento, but I have to say biking shoes are not meant for long hikes, and I have a few blisters and sores on my feet that will need some healing.
I got into Sorrento after 11, and pitched my tent as it decided to have a short gale wind storm. I had to throw my heavy bags into the tent to keep it from flying away as I was trying to assemble it. Not a fun thing to do in the dark when your dead exhausted.
It is now tomorrow, and first thing is to see if I can find a hanger in Salmon Arm. If I can then I need to find a ride there to get the part, and probably another bike ride back to Sorrento :-) I should also see if I can fix a bend I have in the axel on the back tire as that might be contributing to my problems. Either way I don't like it so should see what I can do there.
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